In my journey of learning to live securely in the Father’s love the understanding that because of Jesus my Heavenly Father will never be angry and punish me has brought such peace to my heart. When He corrects me it is always with love and compassion because I am His beloved child. I don’t really understand why people believe that God is still angry and punishing people for their sins when He made a very clear promise to us all in the book of Isaiah.
In Isaiah 54:8-10 our Heavenly Father says to me and you, 8 “…with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer. 9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. 10 For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you. NLT
In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus gives us a wonderful example of the Father keeping His promise. Here was a son who made bad choices and his life was a mess, but when the son decides to go back to his Father, his Father showers him with love and compassion. What a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father’s unconditional love and compassion toward us when we have done wrong. He removes the shame of our sin by reminding us of who we are. He embraces us and kisses us with His words of love. Who wouldn’t want to run to a daddy like that? I know for me this understanding has totally changed my life and my relationship with my Heavenly Father. When I’ve done wrong, I run to Him because He is my safe refuge. He is waiting to correct my wrong opinion of myself with His love. He pours His love and compassion on me and I find myself completely loved by Him and free from the power of sin in my life. What a wonderful Daddy we all have!
Zephaniah 3:17 say, “The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.
We truly can live free in our Heavenly Father's unconditional, unchanging love because His good opinion of us never changes!
We all have the perfect Father because we are all children of the King!
ReplyDeleteI love that the father in the story didn't scold or condemn, he just reminded the son of his identity
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 54:8-10 what a powerful scripture!
ReplyDeleteTo understand that every time we see a rainbow, God is reminding us that He promised to never flood the earth. AND that He swears He will NEVER again be angry with us!
He promised this, before He gave Jesus... what a great heart our Father has!
That really is understanding love when we know we can run straight to the one that we've sinned against. I love that! I don't have to be afraid of being completely honest with my Father about my failures. After all, He's the only One that has the power to transform me by reminding me of the "so very very good" person that I AM!
ReplyDeleteIf I can be completely honest, people believe that God is angry and still punishing them for their sins because people measure God by how people -- especially fathers -- act. If you've grown up with an unkind father, or unkind male authority figure, that is your measure of God, until you meet someone who acts differently and changes your perception of what a father is like. My own father was very unkind, and for many, many years, I did not want to know what God was like, because I thought my dad represented God, in fact, in many ways, I was taught that. I was raised in an environment where the clergy were called "father," in fact. So, that is where my wrong perception came in. I looked to men in authority over me as representing God instead of looking to God Himself.
ReplyDeleteIt was not until I started looking at the Scriptures for myself, and started realizing that our Heavenly Father has gotten a really bum rap, that I realized that earthly fathers do not necessarily represent our Heavenly Father, and that I do not need to look to an earthly father for love and approval at all (although it certainly would be nice!) My Heavenly Father is really all the father that I need to have a wonderful life. As I learn about His kindness and goodness and mercy and grace, I can live a life of being loved. Then, if I am fortunate to meet a father, or authority figure who is kind to me, it is all gravy.
There are all kinds of places and people that we can look to for love, but the best place to go for love is God Himself, because He is love and all love comes from Him. When we do that we will never be disappointed, because He is faithful and He actually wired us to be loved by Him!
I do love so much that the Father didn't scold his son when he returned home. He wasn't angry with him or disappointed or ashamed of him, he just poured out his love on him. Our heavenly Father is just like that. When I fail He pours out His love on me, not punishment. He reminds me that in Christ I am made righteous and therefore completely acceptable to Him. Just like the prodigal's father embraced his son in love, our heavenly Father wants to pour out His love and acceptance on us. It's the most amazing good news ever! I am loved apart from my behavior, I am loved because of Jesus finished work on the cross!
ReplyDeleteRegardless of which son he was addressing, this wise Father simply reminded each one of their true identity. He did not point out their sin - he pointed out who they were to him - already loved, accepted, qualified and approved.
ReplyDeleteAs we remember our true identity, we are not tempted to visit with the pigs, or to pass judgment on others. We are free to live in our Fathers love. How wonderful is that?
I love this story. The father did not try to manipulate his boys in any way. He didn't keep them from doing what they wanted to do, by manipulating their attitudes or their actions. He just loved them when they were ready to return to him. His timing was absolutely perfect. When his boys were ready to talk, he was totally there for them, ready to listen and to love them with open arms. No words were said about what they had done wrong, because the father's kindness led them both to rethink their attitude about their father. They both knew what they had done wrong and didn't need to hear it. His actions were made more of an impression than any amount of words he could have spoken . . .
ReplyDeleteYou said it Marsha! Being loved apart from our behavior? Kind of like, "love covering a multitude of sins".
ReplyDeleteThe thought that pride is the thing that keeps us from accepting our Father's UNconditional love, rings true to me. Paul boasted in the cross of Christ... alone. What an incomprehensible love our Father has for us.
All of your comments made me cry. Thank you for sharing. I need my Heavenly Father's love every single day. He is the only one who will never change His good opinion of me. I can't even explain what healing that brings to my heart
ReplyDeleteLove the title of your ministry. Hope you don't mind if I splash around a bit to get to know you.
ReplyDeleteWanna do something spunky and eternal this Christmas? Then, you are nvited you to a water buffalo party! No formal attire required, just stop by and splash along with us.
http://justsarahdawn.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-i-want-for.html
Be blessed bunches,
Sarah
I don't believe in god, nor that Jesus was the son of god. We could all use some miracles to end the pain and suffering in the world, but until then, I'll put my faith in human beings.
ReplyDelete